High-performance size-exclusion chromatography studies on the formation and distribution of polar compounds in camellia seed oil during heating.

Camellia seed oil (CSO) is rich in oleic acid and has a high number of active components, which give the oil high nutritional value and a variety of biological activity. The aim of the present study was to determine the changes in the content and distribution of total polar compounds (TPC) in CSO during heating. TPC were isolated by means of preparative flash chromatography and further analyzed by high-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC). The TPC content of CSO increased from 4.74% to 25.29%, showing a significantly lower formation rate as compared to that of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and soybean oil (SBO) during heating. Furthermore, heating also resulted in significant differences (P<0.05) in the distribution of TPC among these oils. Though the content of oxidized triacylglycerol dimers, oxidized triacylglycerol oligomers, and oxidized triacylglycerol monomers significantly increased in all these oils, their increased percentages were much less in CSO than those in EVOO, indicating that CSO has a greater ability to resist oxidation. This work may be useful for the food oil industry and consumers in helping to choose the correct oil and to decide on the useful lifetime of the oil.